Breaking the Rules of Game Design: when to go against Autonomy, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Breaking the Rules of Game Design: when to go against Autonomy, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Nov 21, 2023 625 likes •1.9k views

Breaking the Rules of Game Design: when to go against Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness Kaitlyn Burnell Programmer, Naughty Dog (ideas for this talk developed at CCP) Spoiler Warning Glossary Autonomy Competence Relatedness Why

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Kaitlyn Burnell

Programmer, Naughty Dog (ideas for this talk developed at CCP)

Breaking the Rules of Game Design: when to go against Autonomy,

Competence, and Relatedness

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Spoiler Warning

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Glossary

Autonomy Competence Relatedness

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Why These

  • Autonomy, Competence, Relatedness
  • (Stats from Immersyve)
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Effective everywhere

Education Sports

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Autonomy

  • Having options
  • Feeling in-control
  • Feeling responsible for your own actions
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Autonomy

GTA Photoshop LEGO

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Competence

  • I’m up to the task
  • The controls do what I intend
  • Mastery
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Competence

  • Self-perception
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Competence

  • ONLY effective when combined with Autonomy
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Relatedness

  • Relationships
  • Belonging
  • Part of something bigger
  • Peers
  • Responsibility for well-being of others
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Relatedness

  • NPCs Effective
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Glossary

  • Autonomy

= “I have options”

  • Competence = “I can do it”
  • Relatedness = “I have peers”
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Max Out A/C/R?

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Max Out A/C/R?

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Max Out A/C/R?

  • Farmville
  • Plant Anything (Autonomy)
  • No Failing (Competence)
  • Friends Need (Relatedness)

Pinnacle of Game Design???

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Breaking Autonomy

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Portal

  • (Villain): “You must destroy this box.”
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Portal 2

  • (Story): “You must put the villain back

into power”

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Breaking Autonomy

  • People love Portal’s scene:
  • People hate Portal 2’s scene:
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Breaking Autonomy

  • “The villain made me do it”
  • “The designer made me do it”
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Breaking Autonomy

  • “The villain made me do it”
  • I HATE this villain
  • “The designer made me do it”
  • I HATE this game designer
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Breaking Autonomy

  • “The villain made me do it”
  • I HATE this villain
  • “The designer made me do it”
  • The main character isn’t me
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Hold on…

Autonomy Villains ?

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Hold on…

Autonomy Villains ? Game Design Narrative

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Emotional Transfer

Game Design

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Emotional Transfer

Game Design Player Emotion

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Emotional Transfer

Game Design Player Emotion Narrative

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Emotional Transfer

  • Narrative tool that no other medium has
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Is this the only way?

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Is this the only way?

  • Do we have to take away Autonomy?
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Is this the only way?

  • Do we have to take away Autonomy?
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Is this the only way?

  • Secret way to save the cube?
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Is this the only way?

  • Secret way to save the cube…Problems:
  • Newbies.
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Is this the only way?

  • Secret way to save the cube…Problems:
  • Internet
  • Now Competence+Autonomy
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Is this the only way?

  • Do we have to take away Autonomy?
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Is this the only way?

  • Let people keep the cube—no secrets.
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Is this the only way?

  • Let people keep the cube…problems:
  • Why be angry with the villain now?
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Is this the only way?

Break rules! Game Design Negative Emotion Story

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Fix Portal 2’s Scene

  • Resistance is credible
  • Orders you can’t refuse
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Improve the Portal Scene?

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Improve the Portal Scene?

  • Make sure people CARE about the cube
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Improve the Portal Scene?

  • Autonomy over small things
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Bigger Picture

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Could we impact non-narrative

  • ???????

Game Design Negative Emotion ???

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Could we impact non-narrative

Yes!

  • Game Design Negative Emotion Lesson
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History Lesson

  • Brenda Brathwaite’s board games
  • Experience historical atrocities
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Could we impact non-narrative

Yes!

  • Game Design Negative Emotion Thesis
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Thesis

  • Super Press Space to Win RPG
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Thesis

  • Super Press Space to Win RPG
  • Thesis(?): Linearity is bad.
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Thesis

  • Super Press Space to Win RPG
  • Thesis(?): Linear RPGs have plenty Autonomy
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Could we impact non-narrative

Yes! But the tricks are the same

  • Game Design Emotion External Idea
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Could we impact non-external?

  • Game Design Emotion Game Design
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Could we impact non-external?

  • Yes…
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Could we impact non-external?

  • Yes…You could make people dislike a

well-made part of your gameplay!

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Could we impact non-external?

  • Yes…You could make people dislike a

well-made part of your gameplay!

  • But…why?
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Other Negative Emotions…

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Other Negative Emotions…

  • Autonomy
  • Competence
  • Relatedness
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Breaking Autonomy

  • Controlled
  • Like a Pawn
  • “I have to do this”
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Breaking Autonomy

  • Controlled
  • Like a Pawn
  • “I have to do this”
  • Rebellious
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Breaking Competence

  • Helpless
  • “I can’t do it”
  • Give up
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Relatedness

  • Opposite of loneliness
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Breaking Relatedness

  • Loss
  • Grief
  • Homesick
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Breaking Relatedness

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Breaking Relatedness

  • Kill Character
  • Isolate
  • Rejection
  • Reject Them
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Breaking Relatedness

  • Murder
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Experiment

  • Shock test subjects
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Experiment

  • Shock test subjects
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Experiment

  • Shock test subjects
  • Malice
  • Innocent
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Experiment

  • Shock test subjects
  • Malice
  • HURTS
  • Innocent
  • Doesn’t
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Breaking Relatedness

  • Murder
  • It’s Malicious
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Breaking Relatedness: Murder

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Breaking Relatedness: Murder

  • Care About Victim
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Breaking Relatedness: Murder

  • Care About Victim
  • Use Narrative
  • Use Gameplay
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Game Mechanical Relatedness

  • Trust
  • Inter-reliance
  • Peer
  • Part of something bigger
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Game Mechanical Relatedness

  • Aeris
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Game Mechanical Relatedness

  • Aeris
  • Lore
  • Goals
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Game Mechanical Relatedness

  • Aeris
  • Lore
  • Goals
  • Your Help
  • Healer
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Game Mechanical Relatedness

  • Aeris
  • Lore
  • Goals
  • Your Help
  • Healer
  • Dies while relevant
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Care About a Character

  • Used: Relatedness
  • Autonomy
  • Competence
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+Caring (from Autonomy)

  • Created Characters
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+Caring (from Competence)

  • “My strategies are based around this

character.”

  • Aeris
  • Healing
  • Lose Gear, EXP
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Nonlinear Narratives

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Nonlinear Narratives

Game Design Negative Emotion Story

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Nonlinear Narratives

  • Game Design chunk
  • Narrative chunk

Game Design Negative Emotion Story

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Nonlinear Narratives

  • Mix and Match!

Game Design Negative Emotion Story

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Nonlinear Narratives

  • Mix and Match!
  • (One of each)

Game Design Negative Emotion Story

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Nonlinear Narratives: Examples

  • Murder
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Nonlinear Narratives: Examples

  • Murder
  • Game Mechanical Relationship
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Nonlinear Narratives: Examples

  • Coercion
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Nonlinear Narratives: Examples

  • Coercion
  • Removes Autonomy
  • = Linear?????
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Nonlinear Narratives: Examples

  • Coercion
  • Capture triggered
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Nonlinear Narratives: Examples

  • Slow Buildup…
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Nonlinear Narratives: Examples

  • Slow Buildup…
  • Loneliness
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Loneliness

  • Portal
  • “Robot won’t let me leave”
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Loneliness

  • Portal
  • “Robot won’t let me leave”
  • Blame
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Loneliness (Nonlinear Narratives)

  • Radio Jammed
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Loneliness (Nonlinear Narratives)

  • Radio Jammed
  • Blame
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Nonlinear Story: Detect Emotion

  • Notice player is frustrated
  • Play scene
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Breaking Competence

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Breaking Competence…Problems

  • Need Autonomy
  • Quitters
  • Skill Levels
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Breaking Competence

  • Brenda Brathwaite’s Passage
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Mommy, we are not going to make it

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Hope people don’t die,

  • r put people in the water
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We are not going to make it

  • Brenda Brathwaite’s Passage
  • Autonomy
  • Drowning
  • Starvation
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We are not going to make it

  • Other Games
  • Autonomy
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Breaking Competence

  • Skill
  • Luck-based failure
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Breaking Competence

  • Quitters
  • GM
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Breaking Competence

  • Quitters (electronic)
  • Guess
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Breaking Competence

  • Quitters (electronic)
  • Guess
  • Drag the scene out
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Breaking Competence

  • Modifications
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Breaking Competence

  • Modifications
  • Rescue
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Breaking Competence

  • Modifications
  • Rescue
  • Gratitude
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More Psychology

How many of these scenes? At what point in the game?

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More Psych

  • Don’t Overuse
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More Psych

  • Don’t Overuse
  • Limited Supply
  • f Chemicals
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More Psych

  • Don’t Overuse
  • Limited Supply
  • f Chemicals
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More Psych

  • Human Memory = Mutable
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More Psych

  • Human Memory = Mutable
  • Liked last scene = liked movie
  • Negative Emotion
  • Not Last Scene?
  • (Except for Tragedies)
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More Psych

  • Autonomy = most impact
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More Psych

  • Autonomy = most impact
  • Most missed?
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Big Picture

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Big Picture

  • Story
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Big Picture

  • Story
  • Emotion
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Big Picture

  • Story
  • Emotion
  • Break appropriate rule
  • Autonomy
  • Competence
  • Relatedness
  • Enhanced Narrative
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Questions?